October 2004

These rescue lights are waterproof, corrosion proof (salt-water proof), and emit a light visible for up to twenty miles at night. On one 6-volt lithium battery, the small flare can signal for five hours. The larger light takes two N batteries and works for fifteen hours. That beats the hell out of a pyrotechnic flare, especially when you’re bleeding and lost.

Just looking at these goldfish note cards makes me feel calm. I love how the design continues from the front to the back, and there’s no pithy message inside. They’re designed for the London National History Museum, and are 5 x 6 inches.

So you’re into the tweed trend, but uninterested in spending several hundred on a coat that will work for exactly one season. This updated classic is a solution. The flecked tweed is understated, but the asymmetrical buttons and the deep collar notches rescue it from the ho hums. It’s a wool/nylon blend that works with any outfit. Good investment.

If you think eyelash curlers don’t do much, try this one. It gives you Betty Boop eyes. If you’ve ever read a women’s magazine, you’ve probably heard about this baby. It seems to be the only eyelash curler that makeup artists use. If you’re into makeup minimalism, skip the mascara and give your lashes a curl instead.

Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, is about how small, seemingly unimportant things can overtake us; how yearning can succumb to expectation. Just thinking about this book makes my throat ache. The novel follows Clarissa Dalloway through a single day of her life as she prepares for a party. The reader is privy to her inner life and how it has colored the lives of her intimates. It’s a complex read, and I was lucky enough to have smart people guide me through the first pass. It’s written in stream of consciousness, which some people find confusing. If that spooks you, buy the Cliff Notes to help you through. If you’re still confused, send me an email. Seriously. I want you to love this book.

Look everybody, it’s Monkey Product of the Week! This one is a T-shirt with a dancing monkey. It reads “I hope I never die.” So true. If you’re having a down day, monkey clothing will really pick you up. And dancing monkey clothing? Don’t even get me started. UPDATE: Booo. The monkey tee is already gone. Such is the peril of posting about limited edition products. They do, however, have a very nice piranha T-shirt for sale. For the next three minutes.

At last, a fire engine toy with no working siren! This classic zoomer is made of steel with rubber tires and has little wooden ladders on the back. It’s for kids age one to three, and they’ll tear across the patio like nobody’s business. Just keep them away from garden hose and the BBQ grill. Dimensions: 28 inches long, 10 inches wide, 14 inches tall.

This nostalgia gum is unique in that it actually leaves your mouth tasting better after you’ve spit it out. (Try that trick with some watermelon-flavored Bubble Yum.) It really does taste like cloves, though a mild, sweet and tingly version of the real thing. If you’re looking for a breath freshener that doesn’t leave you smelling like a candy cane, this is a good bet.

ON SALE Tell you what, next time I have $155 to spend on a pillow, these are the pillows for me. They’re hand-beaded on cotton and have tie-back openings. Can you imagine how long it takes to make one of these? Breathtaking. As you can see, they come in cream or red with reverse-color beading. Try not to lick them when they arrive.

You should look just as good getting your beauty sleep as you do after you wake up. Before your next flight, discard the black, crumply mask you bought at the drugstore, and replace it with Cris Notti’s silk sleep mask with lace headband. It’s a much more comfortable alternative, not to mention a sexier option for all of life’s blindfold-related activities.

Now this is the kind of belt women are looking to unbuckle. Unfortunately, fabulous gay men seem to be the only sexy-belt purchasers among us. No more! Straight men, you can wear this belt! Can’t you hear its deep brown leather calling to you; sense the enamel buckle yearning to be unfastened by someone worthwhile? Heed its siren song, or resign yourself to braided-leather, Gap-belt sex.

It’s unctuous, smooshy, soothing, and makes for a dreamy foot rub. Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme smells like coconut and peppermint, feels like walking through butter, and looks like a cross between a gel and a lotion. Your skin will drink it up.

This is the book I always give new parents, and it’s a perfect Valentine to your little one. Robert Munsch wrote many of my favorite kids’ books, but this one makes my breath catch. It’s a hilarious, poignant story about a mother who sings to her baby boy every night: “I’ll love you forever / I’ll like you for always / As long as I’m living / My baby you’ll be.” It’s also available in Spanish and French.

BY REQUEST I love transparent umbrellas, because they remind me of watching the rain make patterns on the car window when I was little. Martha wrote in to say that she’d been looking for a clear umbrella like the one Charlotte carries in Lost in Translation. This is what I found. Here’s a slightly cheaper variation that’s bubble-shaped and has a band of color around the base.

Like traditional Russian nesting dolls, only painted with the likenesses of Kiss band members. Also available in Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Britney, Elvis, and the Beatles, among others. (via AZ Central daily picks)

Grandpa styling at its finest. First take a razorblade to those tags on the front. Once those are in the trash, find some pale blue, tan, or chocolate brown slacks that break over your shoe just so. Is the front-crease pressed to a point? Nice.

There’s something so delicate about this book. The God of Small Things was Arundhati Roy’s first novel, and it won the Booker Prize. It’s a tragedy that follows the lives of a brother and sister living in India. What struck me most was Roy’s ability to recall and capture how it feels to be a child. The author is meticulous with her details, and her characters never ring false. Highly recommended; it will leave you bereft. A few excerpts: “Kochu Maria’s laugh had that slightly cruel ring to it that young children’s sometimes have. She was frightened by the BBC famines and television wars that she encountered while she channel surfed… She viewed ethnic cleansing, famine and genocide as direct threats to her furniture.” “The sun shone through the Plymouth window directly down at Rahel. She closed her eyes and shone back at it.” “The great stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don’t deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don’t surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover’s skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don’t. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won’t. In the great stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn’t. And yet you want to know again.”

This adorable suitcase comes stocked with handmade merino wool booties, a hoodie cardigan, and a stuffed lamb. Close the suitcase, tie a bow on the handle and voila! It’s pricey, but it would make a great group gift, and I know a lot of you are crafty sorts who appreciate a cute idea.

ON SALE Your junk drawer is rattling with old adapters bought in countries you’ll likely never visit again. Throw them out. If you travel a lot, this is an excellent price on a universal adapter that works in more than 100 countries. Keep it in your travel bag and you’ll never again find yourself far from home with a bum electric toothbrush.

Dagoba makes all kinds of organic, flavored chocolates. They have mint, coffee cinnamon, and chai; but lavender is the best of the lot. The bar is 59 percent cocoa, and the lavender essence is offset with dried wild blueberries. The effect is a crisp, tart flavor undercut by the deep bittersweet of the chocolate. Sprinkle a few shavings atop a chocolate torte, or add a square or two to a cup of hot coco. The spicy aftertaste will win you.

Dagoba makes all kinds of organic, flavored chocolates. They have mint, coffee cinnamon, and chai; but lavender is the best of the lot. The bar is 59 percent cocoa, and the lavender essence is offset with dried wild blueberries. The effect is a crisp, tart flavor undercut by the deep bittersweet of the chocolate. Sprinkle a few shavings atop a chocolate torte, or add a square or two to a cup of hot coco. The spicy aftertaste will win you.

You tried the aspirin, the multivitamin, the protein-power enriched smoothie, and your brain is still whomping against your scull. Grab your eye mask from the fridge, find a dark room, and let the cool gel settle against your eyelids while you swear never, ever to touch bourbon again.

Frames seem to fall mostly into two categories: boring, or kitschy. This updated, two-edged Ledge frame is different. It would make a great present if you personalized it with a photo. The frame is made of lacquered wood, a cast-aluminum base, and a glass pane. Holds 4x6 photos.

This yellow and green cap-sleeve shirt features a bookish girl next to the slogan “Reading is Sexy.” Hot-librarian glasses never hurt either. Pair it with a pencil skirt, Mary Janes, your horn rims, and the latest copy of The Believer. The shirts are 100 percent cotton, and are made in LA and printed in Washington–so no sweatshops on your conscience. Yay. (Thanks, Dia!)